Our sponsors were a huge help in putting this event together, New York Life and of course The Office Pile. The food consisted of delicious chicken mole, pico de gallo, guacamole, tortillas, pita chips, apricot flan and strawberry flan provided by Chef Cody from Manhattan Catering. Alongside an assortment of delicious craft beers, no one was left hungry (or thirsty).

Hugo talked about the way Hispanics are perceived in media today with examples such as Lupe Ontiveros who made her acting career playing a maid, Al Pacino playing a criminal in Scarface, and current examples such as Sophia Vergara who is often projected as a sex symbol. He also touched on the fact that Hispanics often don’t have the same things in common, that some Hispanics favor English while others favor Spanish, and the importance of knowing which group you are marketing to.

Hugo summed up the presentation by discussing how marketing to Hispanics $1.3 trillion in purchasing power can be challenging, but with the right knowledge and strategy, savvy marketers can attract them to their brand or products and create a meaningful, long term relationship.

Hugo Balta will be our guest speaker at our second event, November 19th. if you would like to attend please RSVP here.

Biography:

Hugo Balta is an experienced Broadcasting/Digital Media professional directing growth, change and innovation in several divisions and business cycles for English/Spanish language markets. He currently works with the worldwide leader in sports, ESPN as a coordinating producer. He is the co-founder of the Latino Multimedia Communicators group. He is a public speaker/instructor on topics including the distinctions between Latino markets (English, Spanish, bilingual), newsroom diversity and marketing to this emerging majority. No wonder we picked him as our guest speaker. He has led television news departments in several markets for NBC, Telemundo and CBS producing news, entertainment and commercial work for the U.S. and Latin American markets. As a former President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; he led the strategic planning of programs focused on championing Latinos and advocating for the fair coverage and treatment of them.

Company Description:

ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Based in Bristol, Conn.,the company is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN. They are the No. 1 consumed show on television puts fans at the Center of Sports through unmatched storytelling across all kinds of sports stories, across ESPN platforms.